Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 764

Ironically, it was Itzcoatl, his father, and Montezuma I who inadvertently pushed the Aztec rulers toward their intense obsession with human sacrifice.

It wasn’t that human sacrifice was entirely absent beforehand.

Typically, only defeated royalty or warriors captured in wars were offered as sacrifices, or the royalty would perform acts of self-harm as sacrifices.

However, during the reigns of Itzcoatl and Montezuma I, the scale of human sacrifice increased dramatically.

They even went so far as to denounce previously held beliefs as heresy and establish new doctrines to justify large-scale human sacrifice.

And to obtain these sacrifices, they aggressively attacked neighboring tribes and put immense pressure on their vassal states.

This strategy was aimed at weakening any forces that could potentially resist Aztec rule.

The reason Montezuma I decided to meet the strangers himself was because of their swords.

“They possess weapons far more powerful than those of our warriors. It would be dangerous to provoke them rashly and start a war!”

The danger Montezuma I foresaw wasn’t outright defeat or the destruction of the Aztec state.

“This is our territory. Defeat is impossible.”

“But we could suffer significant losses.”

“If we lose too many of the empire’s warriors, the surrounding vassal tribes, colonial tribes, or even our own commoners might stage an uprising.”

Montezuma I was primarily concerned about being overthrown by internal enemies while weakened from fighting external forces.

“If the Tlatoani [ruler] himself takes the initiative to create a conciliatory atmosphere, the nobles will have no choice but to follow suit. Then, we can avoid the unnecessary expenditure of military force.”

This was the core reason Montezuma I resolved to meet the strangers in person.

* * *

Imperial Army Landing Zone.

“This aimless waiting is exhausting,” Admiral Ahn Sang-soo muttered, sitting in the command tent, his face etched with frustration as he surveyed the scene.

It had been nearly half a month since they had established a beachhead on this troublesome coast.

During that time, there had been no contact with the locals, and the soldiers were growing restless with boredom.

In the initial days after landing, the soldiers were on high alert, constantly scanning their surroundings. However, as the days passed without incident, their vigilance waned.

To combat this, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo rotated the riflemen drafted from the sailors with those remaining on the ships.

He maintained morale and a degree of alertness by alternating those who had to endure the cramped conditions of the ships with those who enjoyed a break, albeit not a true vacation, on land.

To further prevent the soldiers from becoming complacent, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo implemented another strategy.

“At this rate, we’ll deplete our drinking water reserves. Locate a water source nearby, but limit the search to within half a day’s travel from the beachhead.”

“What size of team should we assign?”

“The minimum unit is a platoon (25 men). Absolutely forbid splitting into smaller groups.”

“Yes, sir!”

Following Admiral Ahn Sang-soo’s orders, one company (125 men) departed the beachhead each day to scout the surrounding area.

While conducting these daily searches, the Imperial Army’s detection range expanded from half a day’s distance to a full day’s distance.

Finding a suitable spring and resolving the drinking water issue was an added benefit. Furthermore, they were able to carry out the surveying work they hadn’t been able to complete properly last time.

Having thoroughly explored the area around the beachhead and gained some confidence, the Imperial Army officers approached Admiral Ahn Sang-soo.

“Wouldn’t it be advantageous for us to advance inland now?”

Admiral Ahn Sang-soo shook his head at the officers’ suggestion.

“Impossible. We lack sufficient information about this region. Moving forward in such a state is akin to suicide.”

“I believe it’s feasible with adequate equipment.”

“Adequate equipment? The weapons we have are for war, not exploration. The only tool we possess for exploration is the machete.”

“Don’t we have compasses? With a compass, we shouldn’t have to worry about getting lost, right?”

When the young officer mentioned the compass, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo glared at him.

“Have you ever been in a jungle?”

“No, sir.”

“If you become lost in the jungle, even a compass is useless. That’s based on my own experience.”

* * *

In his younger days, the admiral had participated in an expedition to explore the islands near Luzon [largest island in the Philippines].

What Admiral Ahn Sang-soo learned from that expedition was that ‘the jungle is a living hell.’

If there were even rocks with iron deposits nearby, the compass would become immediately unreliable. Determining direction by observing the sun was also impossible due to the dense jungle canopy.

Without a trustworthy guide, it was a place where one could easily meet their end.

* * *

After recounting his experience, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo concluded with the following.

“It’s best to have a reliable guide and, at the very least, a map. Otherwise, entering the jungle is something you should never do.”

“…Understood.”

Although he had dissuaded the young officers from their reckless proposal, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo’s worries grew as time passed.

“There’s a limit to simply setting up camp like this. It’s not just the soldiers; the gunpowder is also a concern.”

The bullets used in the Byeongshik Hwacha [multiple rocket launcher] and Byeongshik rifles had some resistance to moisture. The gunpowder was contained in copper cartridges, and the opening was sealed by a bullet. Furthermore, the boxes containing the bullets and cartridges had charcoal inside to absorb moisture.

The problem was the gunpowder in the Wanggu [hand cannon] and Bigyeokjincheonleoi [thunder crash bomb]. Like the ammunition boxes, charcoal acted as a dehumidifier, but charcoal had its limits in absorbing moisture from the sea air.

Although it was a new gunpowder that was more resistant to moisture than black powder, it was still susceptible to absorbing excessive moisture, just like black powder.

“There are other problems too, such as our inability to communicate.”

Admiral Ahn Sang-soo was also deeply concerned about this issue.

In the past, in regions like Luzon, the Malay Peninsula, and the Indonesian archipelago, there were some solutions.

There were Chinese and Islamic communities that had been established since the Song Dynasty [960-1279 AD].

With the Chinese and Islamic believers acting as intermediaries, it was possible to communicate, even if only through writing.

However, here, in this newly arrived location, there was no information available at all. The possibility of finding an interpreter was out of the question.

“It’s not like we can summon Grand Scholar Shin Suk-ju…”

Shin Suk-ju [1417-1475] was renowned as a ‘linguistic genius’ and an ‘incomparable master of languages’.

However, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo quickly dismissed the thought.

“Even the great Shin Suk-ju faced considerable difficulties when he first arrived in a new land, didn’t he?”

Admiral Ahn Sang-soo, struggling to find a solution to a seemingly impossible situation, made a decision.

“Five days! If we haven’t made contact after waiting five more days, we will withdraw immediately!”

Admiral Ahn Sang-soo’s decision was conveyed to the officers and soldiers. The officers and soldiers who heard the news had mixed reactions.

“Should we consider this a wasted effort, or should we simply appreciate the rest we’ve had?”

“Still, it’s a relief that we completed the surveying properly. We won’t have to repeat that work.”

“I was hoping to see what kind of people lived here.”

Thus, the days passed with a blend of various emotions.

* * *

While the Imperial Army was spending their time in this manner, the Aztec warriors hidden in the jungle were equally frustrated.

Due to intelligence reports indicating that a significant number of strangers had landed on the beach, the Aztec warriors in the surrounding area had gathered in the jungle. However, they never revealed themselves to the Imperial Army.

“Under no circumstances are you to engage them!”

Because of Montezuma I’s strict orders, the Aztec warriors could only observe the Imperial Army from a distance.

Even as the Imperial Army began their exploration activities, the Aztec warriors had to retreat beyond the Imperial Army’s exploration range and watch the Imperial soldiers wandering through the jungle.

As this situation persisted, the lower-ranking warriors grew increasingly dissatisfied.

This was because they were forced to simply watch the Imperial soldiers, who were moving in units as small as a platoon.

“It seems like we could easily ambush them…”

Most of the lower-ranking warriors were either slaves or commoners. If they achieved significant accomplishments or captured prisoners, they could potentially escape their status as commoners or slaves and become Jaguar warriors in return.

It was incredibly difficult for those who were consumed by such ambitions to simply ignore the Imperial soldiers, who were loitering in front of them without any awareness.

However, if they disobeyed Montezuma I’s orders, they would undoubtedly become sacrifices, so the lower-ranking warriors gritted their teeth and merely observed the Imperial soldiers.

“This is truly unbearable.”

“Should we just attack?”

“Do you want to become a sacrifice?”

“We can simply claim that those guys attacked first, right?”

Just as rebellious sentiments began to spread among the lower-ranking warriors who were finding it difficult to endure, a messenger arrived with news.

“The Tlatoani [ruler] is coming in person!”

Upon hearing that Montezuma I was arriving in person, the Eagle Warriors and Jaguar Warriors began to strictly supervise the lower-ranking warriors, and the lower-ranking warriors were forced to conceal their rebellious intentions.

* * *

One day before the scheduled withdrawal.

The soldiers who had ventured into the jungle for exploration rushed out in a panic and ran toward the beachhead.

“Emergency! Emergency!”

“The natives are coming!”

Upon returning to the beachhead, the Imperial soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs, announcing the approach of the Aztec warriors.

Ding ding ding!

At the soldiers’ shouts, alarm bells rang throughout the beachhead, and the soldiers who were resting hastily grabbed their weapons and rushed to their assigned positions.

Admiral Ahn Sang-soo, who was resting in his tent, quickly emerged to assess the situation.

“Report!”

At the admiral’s command, the commander of the company that had gone out for exploration reported to the admiral.

“A large number of natives are approaching our location!”

“What is their estimated size?”

“At least over a thousand!”

After receiving the report, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo ordered the adjutant.

“Fire the Singijeon [signal rocket launcher]!”

“Yes, sir!”

Soon after, a Singijeon soared into the sky and exploded.

Bang!

As the signal Singijeon, which signified ‘enemy approaching,’ detonated, Singijeon also ascended into the sky from the ships anchored at sea. This indicated that they had acknowledged the Singijeon fired from the beachhead, and frantic activity began on the anchored ships as well.

* * *

Meanwhile, Montezuma I and the Aztec warriors, who had nearly reached the beach, halted at the sight of the Singijeon.

“What is that?”

“How do they accomplish that?”

The Aztecs, who had no means of producing a similar effect, all shared similar thoughts.

‘They must have very skilled sorcerers!’

Thinking so, the Aztecs approached with even greater caution.

It would be a significant problem if a skilled sorcerer who could conjure flames and smoke in the sky like that were to cast a curse.

The curse itself was a concern, but they might have to wage war to find sacrifices to lift the curse, or they might even become sacrifices themselves.

Moving with extreme caution, the Aztec warriors emerged from the jungle and advanced toward the beachhead.

At the center of the vanguard was the palanquin carrying Montezuma I.

Seated in the palanquin, Montezuma I observed the strangers’ camp in front of him.

As the Jaguar warrior who had initially reported the contact had described, the stranger warriors holding long wooden sticks were glaring at them.

‘Who is their commander? Is it their king?’

While Montezuma I was searching for the leader of the strangers, Ahn Sang-soo was also looking for the leader of the natives.

Observing the Aztec warriors’ camp through a telescope, Ahn Sang-soo soon identified Montezuma I in the palanquin.

‘Could it be that their king himself has arrived?’